


Heartbuster

by beemotionpicture, TiredScienceBro



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Genre: Angst, Avengers Tower, Bruce Banner Feels, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Canon, Fluff, Hulk Smash, Hulkbuster, M/M, POV Bruce Banner, POV Tony Stark, Post-Iron Man 3, Science Bros, Thor is THE Science Bros Shipper, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-08-28 23:41:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16732875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beemotionpicture/pseuds/beemotionpicture, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiredScienceBro/pseuds/TiredScienceBro
Summary: After Tony’s fight with Killian, Bruce comes to him with a request: he needs Tony to build a suit, one capable of killing the Hulk. They bond over more than just its creation and find that, maybe, they might just be what each other needs.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Tired Science Bro: I’ve always wanted to write about how the Hulkbuster was created so I’m really glad we wrote this. Writing this much for Tony has been a lot of fun so I hope you all enjoy it! Long live the ‘Soda Can as a meal’ joke. 
> 
> beemotionpicture: Heya, this is the first collab I’m posting with my awesome RP partner and friend! It took a month to finish this, although tbh we didn’t even know it was gonna be a fic at first. This was really, really fun to write, hope we can share more of our work with you in the future ;3 Also—no one ships science bros more than Thor Odinson and you can’t convince me otherwise. 
> 
> [This](https://just-banner.tumblr.com/post/180465266407/flytling-and-i-have-been-writing-a-fic-together) is the official poster for the fic. (Kidding.)

Tony sat at his workstation pouring over the plans for the Mark XLIII. He scratched absentmindedly at his chest; he was still getting used to not having the arc reactor there.

He had been taking it easy after his surgery, designing and developing his new suit but now it was finally time to start the fabrication. He set the programme running and leaned back in his chair. Iit wouldn’t be long before he’d be back in the sky, flying.

Behind him the door to the lab clicked, and he spun around to see Bruce entering with a tray of sandwiches. He had been relieved that Bruce had agreed to stay in the Tower with him while he recovered. Having someone else around to work with made the whole process much easier, and he found that the two of them had become closer.

“Lunch,” Bruce declared happily, placing the tray on the bench in front of them. “Is it finished?” he asked, indicating the schematics on the screen.

“Sure is, just set the construction going,” Tony replied before stuffing a sandwich into his mouth. 

They continued to eat and Tony noticed that Bruce was being oddly quiet, shuffling around on his feet nervously and picking at his food instead of eating it. They had been spending so much time together that Tony recognised something was bothering him—and not the usual stuff, but something else.

“Out with it,” Tony ordered, cutting straight to the point.

“W-what?” Bruce replied looking up a at him.

“Something’s on your mind, I can tell.” Bruce went to reply but Tony cut him off. “And don’t pretend it’s nothing. Whatever it is, it’s fine. I’m listening.”

Bruce took a moment as Tony stared at him inquisitively. “I was wondering if we could work on a…project…together," he finally stammered.

Tony let out a small laugh. “Of course,” he replied. “You don’t have to be nervous about asking that. It’d be my pleasure.”

"I was wondering if we could make a suit that could handle the Hulk?"

Okay, he hadn’t been expecting _that_ .

"A suit to handle the Hulk? Like a suit _for_ the Hulk, or a suit for _you_ that can withstand your transformation?” Tony asked. "Sick of waking up naked in a strange place? I know the feeling," he said shoving another sandwich into his mouth.

"No, I meant…" Bruce looked like he was struggling to say exactly what he wanted, but eventually he swallowed and clarified, "I meant a suit that could put him down, if need be. Put me down."

At hearing this, Tony started choking on a mouthful of sandwich.

How could Bruce possibly have conceived of this idea? A suit to _kill_ the Hulk?

"And I'm supposed to be the one piloting it?" Tony asked after clearing his throat.

"You're the only one I trust with this," Bruce finally admitted. "You know how dangerous he is. I don't feel comfortable staying here in New York, knowing I could transform at any time and—hurt people."

A look of realization seemed to come over Bruce as he realized exactly what it was he was asking Tony to do. "I mean, you could? If…that's okay?" Bruce glanced away and said quietly, "I can't do this alone. But I'm not going to force you to do this if you don't want to."

How the hell was he supposed to refuse when Bruce said something like that with such a helpless puppy dog look on his face. Tony sat back in his chair and looked over at him. He seemed so small, so helpless. If Tony refused him now, there was a good chance Bruce would leave for good.

If it meant Bruce would stay here in New York with him then he already knew the answer. Plus if the Hulk ever did freak out and become uncontrollable then perhaps it was best that Tony had something to help keep him in line. At least he knew the power to decide the Hulk's fate would lie with him and no one else. Tony felt a small rush at the sheer trust Bruce must have been putting in him.

"Okay, I'll do it," he replied seriously, giving Bruce a firm nod.

Bruce nearly sagged in relief. "Thank you, Tony. You don't know how much this means to me."

He smiled brightly at Tony, eyes crinkling at the corners. Tony was glad that he could offer Bruce any semblance of peace.

"We'll need to run tests," Tony stated slowly. "If this suit is going to be able to take on the big guy, I need to know what he's capable of. We'll have to measure the strength of the Hulk's punch, his top speed, height of his jumps, etc, etc." He knew Bruce wouldn’t like hearing that he would have to voluntarily transform but it would be needed.

Bruce flinched a little, and looked away. “Of course,” he said, clearing his throat. “But, uh. Where’s a safe place I can _Hulk out_?”

"Why don't I leave that up to you? I'll need to wait for my suit to be finished and I need to design and build testing equipment.”

He started making notes straight away on his computer, but after a few minutes he looked over at Bruce and saw how uncomfortable he looked still. Getting up from his station he walked over and put a comforting hand on Bruce’s shoulder.

"Hey, it’ll be okay. I'll be there, I won't let anything happen."

“I know. I know.” Bruce nodded jerkily, but relaxed under Tony’s touch. “JARVIS?” Bruce asked. “Is there anywhere in the tower fortified enough to transform?”

“There is indeed, Doctor,” JARVIS replied. “There is a bunker several floors below the basement, and the walls of your floor have been reinforced as well.”

Bruce blinked. “Oh.”

“However…if you would prefer somewhere less populated, Sir owns some islands off the coast of the Caribbean that may be of use.”

“You own _islands_?” Bruce asked, sounding astounded. “As in plural?!”

"What? You don't?" He winked at Bruce and broke away to walk towards his desk. Tony was a flurry of activity now. He had so much to do, and it felt wonderful to have something to focus on. "JARVIS, get me all the footage you can of the Hulk. I'll need to watch it all."

 

 

 

 

The Hulk _roared_ at the unfamiliar sands beneath his feet. He looked around him but there were no— “Where bad guys?” His voice rumbled as he approached Tony and sniffed him. “Tin Man okay?”

"Hey, big buy!" Tony said as welcoming as he could. "It's just you and me today. I thought you might like to get out and have some fun?"

Neither he nor Bruce had been sure about how compliant the Hulk would be, but Tony was sure he could convince him to participate.

Hulk grunted and Tony made a startled sound as he picked him up gently. He examined Tony in his giant hands, “Tin Man look okay.”

Tony blinked in wonder, because the Hulk was tilting his head in the way Bruce did when he was trying to solve a problem.

Hulk carried Tony clutched to his chest and sat down under a tree—which didn’t actually provide much shade for his towering form—and plopped Tony down in between his crossed legs.

Tony didn't know what to think. He had only ever spent time with the Hulk in battle and now he was sitting in his lap. He was glad no one else was around to see this.

"Uhh, nice view," he said, motioning out towards the water. He wondered if the Hulk could swim.

Hulk patted him on the head with one finger. “Why Hulk here? No bad guys. No smashing?”

Tony knew he couldn't just come out and say “because I need to test how strong you are so I can build a suit to defeat you”. The thought made him sad, considering how weirdly affectionate the Hulk was being.

"There aren't any bad guys now, but some are coming. We need to train so we’re ready when they get here." It wasn't a lie as such, because if the Chitauri did come back the Hulk would be their greatest asset in defeating them.

Hulk growled, making fists in the sand. "Bad guys. Hulk SMASH!" he said rather loudly in Tony's ear. He pounded the ground, and sand flew everywhere.

Tony shielded his eyes as the sand came towards him, bringing up a cloud of dust. He sneezed.

Hulk stood up suddenly, making Tony topple to the ground. He ran to the ocean, Tony following closely behind, and looked down at it curiously. "Big bath," he said, the fish swimming around his toes as he wiggled them in a shallow area.

"Big bath?" Tony chuckled to himself. Okay, this was certainly going to be interesting. Tony stood next to the Hulk and followed his lead of wiggling his toes in the sand. The water was cool and refreshing against his bare feet.

"Do you see that out there?" Tony pointed to a floating marker he had placed a fair way out from the shore. "Wanna show me how fast you can swim there and back?"

The Hulk grinned. “Hulk FAST.” He dove into the water, splashing Tony in the process. His movements caused waves to come crashing to the shore, no doubt scaring more than a few fish in the process. The Hulk swam to the buoy in record time, emerging from the water and roaring at Tony.

"Wow, you're right big guy, that was impressive!" Tony called out with his hands cupped around his mouth. JARVIS was recording everything through the cameras embedded in Tony's sunglasses, and according to the interface it had taken him approximately 5.74 seconds to get there. Holy crap.

"Now let's see if you can beat me to that one over there!" He pointed to a station down the beach and started running towards it himself. "No jumping," he yelled over his shoulder. "Only running."

He knew he stood no chance of actually winning the race but he wasn't sure what the Hulk's attention span was like, and figured the friendly competition would keep him interested.

Hulk clearly liked the challenge and ran as fast as he could to the marker, overtaking Tony within seconds. He laughed at Tony as he passed him. “Hulk win!” He declared, pounding his fists on his chest once he reached the marker.

Tony breathed heavily as he gave up attempting to run. The Hulk was fast, _very_ fast considering his size. Tony would need to make sure that the suit he built was faster.

He walked over to the cooler he had left under a tree and pulled out a drink. Things were off to a great start; he hadn't expected this much compliance from the Hulk. Had Banner been overreacting all this time? Was there more to the Hulk than they had originally thought?

Hulk whirled around. “Where Tin Man?!” He spotted Tony and made one big jump towards him, making the ground shake.

"What that?” He asked, squinting at the can in Tony’s hand. He poked Tony’s side, sending him staggering.

Tony recovered and propped himself back up. "Uhh," he replied, "soda." He was caught off guard by the Hulk's curiosity and held up the can so the Hulk could inspect it closer. Tony demonstrated taking a sip so the Hulk understood.

Tony watched as the Hulk glared at the cooler and pinched a can between his forefinger and thumb. Then he popped the whole thing in his mouth and _cronch_.

"That's not how it-!" Tony attempted to warn him but it was too late. Bruce was not going to be happy when he found out he had let the Hulk eat metal _and_ sugar.

"You’re not supposed to eat the can, just drink the stuff inside," he explained, amused.

Hulk patted his tummy, grumbling. He picked up another can, holding it over his mouth and crushing it so the soda sprayed into his mouth.

Tony let out a laugh and shook his head. Well, at least that was an improvement to eating the whole thing. Bruce always said his memories when the Hulk was in control were fuzzy—maybe Tony could just feign ignorance and Bruce would never find out.

"Once we've had a break, let’s do some more training. Okay, buddy?" He asked.

“Training.” Hulk furrowed his brows. “What training?” He tilted his head to the side again, confused by the word.

"You know," Tony gestured to the marker, "the practice we're doing. For when the bad guys arrive."

"This practice?" He was still frowning, but he roared anyway. "Hulk SMASH bad guys. Tin Man always get hurt. Puny Tin Man. Tiny."

"Hey!" Tony shot back. "I am not tiny or puny!" He took a long sip of his drink to stop himself from saying anything else.

Hulk said, "Heh," and grinned at Tony. "Tiny puny Tin Man. Hulk big and strong. Protect Tin Man. Catch when Tin Man fell."

"Yeah," Tony replied quietly, softening, ‘I know you did.” He took another sip of his drink before continuing. "Thank you, by the way." He looked up at the Hulk. "For saving me. I wouldn't be here now if you didn't."

The Hulk shook his head, slightly irritated. Like he was having an internal struggle. Tony guessed the words had stirred Bruce inside. "Tin Man stupid,” Hulk finally replied. “Thinks metal clothes protect humans."

Tony glared at the Hulk and bit his own tongue.

_Just let it go. Don't start a fight with him._ He told himself.

"Let's just get back to work," he said standing and throwing his empty can back in the cooler.

They continued running different tests for a while, Tony having Hulk do various physical exercises and problem solving all while scanning and observing him. The Hulk believed that they were “training” for when enemies might attack them and Tony couldn’t help but feel melancholy about the whole situation. Every piece of data Tony gathered from this was to help him figure out how to defeat the Hulk and he felt wrong about lying, but there really wasn’t anything else he could do about it. He had promised Bruce he would do this for him and he was sticking to that promise.

"Okay, big guy," Tony called eventually as the Hulk splashed around in the ocean. "We're done here, time to wrap it up." He wasn't sure how the Hulk was going to take being told to transform back into Banner.

Hulk waded out of the ocean and glared at him, clearly understanding exactly what Tony meant. He crossed his arms and sat on the sand, refusing to move.

_Okay_ , Tony thought, _it's going to be like this._

He knew the Hulk fed off of anger and annoyance. He had an idea that might calm the Hulk down enough to let Banner take back control. He approached the Hulk cautiously and pointed to the spot of the sand in front of him.

"Can I sit here?" He asked.

Hulk grumbled, but nodded his head.

Tony sat so he was facing the Hulk. He gently reached out and took the Hulk's hand and placed his own on it so their palms were touching. "You're right, I am tiny," he said with a small smirk.

Hulk grinned back but said nothing, clearly he was cautious of what Tony was doing.

Tony ran his finger tip delicately along the Hulk's palm. "I really am grateful for what you did for me." He was speaking to Bruce now, not the Hulk, he had to break through to that emotional side.

"When no one else was there to save me, you were." He took the Hulk's fingertip and touched it to his nearly fully healed chest. "Having you with me these past few months has made all the difference. You're changing me for the better."

He let the words hang in the air for a moment before looking up so he was staring deep into the Hulk's vibrant green eyes, hoping to pierce through to the man inside.

The Hulk was clearly trying to resist Bruce for a while, growling, "No!" But eventually he began to shrink, and his skin turned pink again. Bruce sat in front of Tony, hand clasped in his.

Bruce breathed out, looking overwhelmed.

Tony pulled Bruce in close and wrapped his arms around him. He knew that post-transformation was a physically and emotionally demanding time for Bruce. “I got you,” Tony said comfortingly.

Bruce sagged against Tony, feeling cold to the touch and breathing shallowly in his arms. He hugged Tony back. After a minute's pause, he asked, "Did you get everything?"

Tony let out a laugh and nodded, typical Bruce. Putting everything else ahead of himself. "Hey," Tony said, "wanna go for a swim?" He figured Bruce could use some time to relax, and a swim together would be perfect.

Bruce pulled away, letting go of Tony and looking up at him, blinking blearily. "Uh, sure." He smiled hesitantly, and moved towards the water.

They waded out into the shallows together. Tony relaxed in the water, stretching out and floating. It felt nice to take a break after the day’s hard activities.

Then, out of the corner of his eye he caught Bruce staring at him.

"Like what you see?" he joked, closing his eyes against the sun.

Bruce sputtered, and then sank down to clutch his knees and sit in the water to hide his face. "You're not that nice to look at," he muttered, but Tony could tell he didn’t mean it.

" _How dare you!_ " Tony scolded in mock seriousness, looking over at Bruce. "I'm gorgeous."

Bruce mumbled something in response but Tony didn’t hear it.

"Also, sorry if you get a stomach ache…" Tony said casually. He looked over at Bruce, trying not to look too guilty. "The Hulk, uh, _ate_ something he probably shouldn't have."

Bruce’s head snapped up, splashing the water around him. "What?" Tony offered no response so Bruce repeated himself. " _What did he eat, Tony._ "

" _Soda can,_ " Tony mumbled, trying to mask his words by splashing his hands through the water.

"A—" Bruce sputtered. "A _soda can_ ?!" His eyes grew comically wide, and he splashed Tony with water. "How could you let him— _me—_ eat a soda can?!"

"Technically, I didn't _let_ him eat it," Tony replied. He sent a splash back at Bruce.

Bruce looked like a very indignant drowned rat, and he went up to Tony to pinch him in the side. "If I die because a piece of metal tears through my digestive system, it's your fault." He huffed.

"Nah," Tony poked Bruce's stomach. "I'm sure it's like a nuclear reactor in there."

Bruce mock glared, sticking his tongue out.

They swam in silence for a while longer before Bruce spoke. “It’s great that you were able to get him to transform back.”

Tony gave Bruce a small smile. “All in a day’s work,” Tony said trying to sound casual.

Bruce shook his head. “No. It was like I was in a haze, but then I heard your words through the fog.” Bruce moved over to him, leaning in. “Thank you.”

“I meant everything I said,” Tony said, letting his guard drop a little. “Having you by my side these last few months really has meant a lot.”

“To me too,” Bruce replied. “I finally have somewhere where I feel like I _belong_. Thank you, Tony—and not just for letting me stay, but for agreeing to all this.” He gestured around the beach. “It really means a lot to me.”

“Who would have guessed that all I needed to do was bring you to my private island in order to devise a way to defeat your alter ego,” Tony joked. “It won’t be easy,” he said, becoming serious. “But I promise, I’m here and I will do everything in my power to stop you from hurting anyone ever again.”

Bruce smiled glumly and nodded. Tony knew it was hard for Bruce to hear but as long as they stayed by each other’s side they would get through it. Together.


	2. Chapter 2

“JARVIS? Is Tony up?”  
  
“Yes, Doctor Banner. He is currently in the shower.” JARVIS replied lightly.  
  
“Okay,” Bruce said, not looking up from the diagram in front of him. “Could you please make sure he eats before coming down here?”  
  
“Of course, Doctor.” It sounded like he was smiling, and Bruce wondered if it was imagination.  
  
Dum-E chirped at him, and he patted his claw when it handed him a pen…even though he didn’t ask for it. The robots in the lab seemed to like him. Dum-E often gave him things, little trinkets like nuts and bolts—basically junk lying around. Bruce wondered how it came to have that quirk considering that Tony hated people handing him things.  
  
JARVIS’ voice cut through his thoughts. “Doctor, there seems to have been a…disturbance in London, earlier. It did not seem urgent, so I did not inform you until now.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Bruce flicked through the hologram, not quite paying attention.  
  
“About an hour ago, there were portals to what seemed like other dimensions in the sky. As well as a spaceship.”  
  
Bruce looked up in alarm. “And that wasn’t _urgent_?”  
  
“It was taken care of rather quickly. Thor Odinson has arrived on Earth, it seems.”

  


Bruce was leaving the lab when a loud sound echoed throughout the halls. It sounded like it was coming from above, so he hurried to the penthouse.  
  
To his surprise, he found Thor standing outside the window on the platform of the Tower. Thor grinned as their eyes met, and he gave a big wave with Mjolnir clutched in his hand.  
  
Bruce waved back.

Tony must have heard the commotion because he soon stepped out of his bedroom while Bruce and Thor were exchanging hellos.  
  
"Go ahead both of you, let yourselves in," he quipped at the sight of the two men standing in his living area.

“Friend Stark!” Thor boomed, patting Bruce on the back one last time. It was hard enough to make Bruce stumble, making him go, “Oof.”  
  
Thor bridged the distance between them and gathered Tony into a bear hug. Bruce saw Tony’s face contort in pain and he winced in sympathy. That hug sure looked _tight._

"Happy to see you too, big guy," Tony said as Thor finally let him go. "How was London? Take in any of the sights while you were there?" He joked.

Bruce looked over at Tony, brow furrowed slightly. JARVIS must have told Tony about the incident, and of course he had made it into a joke.

“I crashed into most of them, I’m afraid.” Thor winced. “They—the people of London—are not happy about what happened.”  
  
“What _did_ happen?” Bruce asked curiously.  
  
Thor explained the convergence and the predicament with the Aether. “I am staying on Midgard for the foreseeable future, however,” he said firmly. “I shall protect it as I have vowed.”  
  
Bruce looked over at Tony, and remembered all the empty floors in the tower. Maybe it wasn’t his place, but…he tilted his head. “Where are you staying, Thor?” he asked, partly out of concern but partly out of curiosity.  
  
Thor coughed. “Well, Jane’s apartment is rather— _small_. I am not quite sure, yet.”

Bruce nearly missed the sight of Tony’s expression shuttering, and he faltered for a moment. He really _had_ overstepped, then. He was surprised when Tony spoke up next.

"Stay here with us," Tony stated casually, without looking at either of them. He shrugged. "Make yourself at home, JARVIS will arrange everything." Tony didn't wait for a response before heading out of the door to the balcony. “Just remembered. I’ve got something to do.”

Bruce blinked and watched as Tony called on his suit. He barely had a chance to react before Tony was diving off the tower and shooting up into the sky.

Bruce bit his lip at Tony’s abrupt exit. He had screwed up and he knew it. He cursed inwardly, telling himself he’d apologize when Tony got back.  
  
Thor looked at him with serious eyes. “Friend Banner. I know when I am not welcome, and it seems as though we have upset Stark so. I should look for other accommodations—”

“No!” Bruce cut in, perhaps a little too quickly. Despite everything, he still thought that Tony needed to be around more people. He needed the chance to form strong friendships with them, to see that not everyone left. He deserved to have that support system.

Bruce said more quietly, “No. He’ll come around. Please stay.”

Thor looked at him for a long time, surprisingly thoughtful. Bruce saw for the first time Thor’s age reflected in his eyes. Thor looked so young that Bruce sometimes forgot that he was actually much, much older than him.  
  
“JARVIS?” Bruce said instead. “Can you make sure Tony’s okay?”  
  
“Of course, Doctor Banner,” his voice came from all around them.

Thor looked a little startled, but said nothing.  
  
“Where can Thor stay?” Bruce asked.  
  
JARVIS lead them to an empty floor while he and Thor spoke, although Bruce stayed worried all the while.

  


Several hours later, JARVIS interrupted them.

“Mr. Stark is back at the tower, sirs.”  
  
Bruce stifled a sigh of relief. “Thor,” He said quietly, putting a brief hand on Thor’s arm. “I’m just going to go check on him, alright. Go ahead and settle in.”  
  
Thor nodded, smiling at him. “Of course.”  
  
It was, unsurprisingly, difficult to find Tony. Bruce didn’t think he’d find him at all, actually. When he finally saw him, Tony had his back to him. Bruce shifted on his feet. “Hey. Can we talk?”

"Sure," Tony replied, sounding nonchalant, but spending so much time with him meant that Bruce knew better.  
  
Tony looked tense and seemed just about ready to snap. Bruce’s heart ached at the sight, and he felt guilty at making Tony feel so uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, and willed Tony to look at him. “I didn’t mean to overstep. I shouldn’t have offered without asking, but…I thought having Thor around would make you happy,” he said reluctantly.

Tony’s head snapped up and he turned around abruptly. " _You're_ sorry? I'm the one who should be apologizing. I hope Thor ended up staying."

Bruce blinked. “You have nothing to apologize for. This is your home, and I feel bad that I’m intruding. I didn’t mean to upset you. But yeah, JARVIS showed him a floor he could move into.”

"I don't want it to be just _my_ home anymore. You guys should feel comfortable to come and go as you please. We're a team now after all."

Tony looked at him dead straight, and Bruce could see he was being sincere.

Bruce met his eyes and started wringing his hands, embarrassed. Tony looked so earnest, and it warmed his heart. A bright, crinkly smile broke out on his face and he looked at Tony gratefully. “Thank you. You’re a good man, Tony. A kind one.”

"No," Tony replied, turning away, "none of that."

There was a slight dusting of red on his cheeks. Bruce thought it was rather nice.

  
  


"Friends!" Thor boomed as the two of them got back from another trip to one of Tony’s islands. He gathered them both into a hug, which Bruce squirmed out of, laughing.  
  
He smiled up at Thor. "Were you bored without us?"  
  
"Aye. JARVIS is a nice companion, but I would rather have gone with you on your secret mission." He didn't quite pout, exactly.  
  
Bruce didn't tell Thor about working on the project for the Hulk because he'd rather keep it between him and Tony.

"A bored god living in my house. That's a new one." Tony drawled coolly. Bruce almost laughed considering Tony looked ridiculous, still covered in sand. "We had an exhausting day but if there’s anything you want to do, just ask. I'm sure there are plenty of things here on Earth you've yet to experience."

"Hm. Why don't you go on a date with Jane? Surprise her in London or something," Bruce said. He hastily added, "But ask, um, Darcy if they’re busy first."  
  
Thor nodded, considering it. "Jane and I have not been on a proper date before. What do you do on one?"  
  
"Er," he looked at Tony for help, "well, my ex and I just used to watch movies and go on picnics around campus. Nothing too out there."

Tony looked thoughtful, and Bruce wondered if his dates involved charity galas and fancy, expensive restaurants. Quite the opposite to what Bruce had just described.  
  
"Why don't you take her to the Natural History Museum? I'm sure she'd get a kick out of watching you try to comprehend our primitive cultures." Tony commented. "JARVIS, set Thor up with an expense account." He winked at Thor. "Take her somewhere nice for dinner."

"An expense account?" Thor didn’t look like he was entirely sure what that meant, but he was grateful, nonetheless. "Thank you, my friend."  
  
Bruce shook his head, bemused. Tony didn't really— _flaunt_ his money around, but he still acted like something that big was nothing to him. It really wasn't, though, if you considered the fact that he gave Thor and him whole floors in his tower without a thought.  
  
Tony was a generous man. Bruce hid his fond smile as he thought about everything Tony was doing for him.  
  
"I'm sure she'd like that, Thor," Bruce said. To Tony, he said, "Why don't we do something together, the three of us? Team bonding, or something…" As soon as he said it, it sounded a little lame. He winced, telling himself to be a little less awkward next time.

"Sure, why not?" Tony said casually, and Bruce smiled openly this time. "We can take the Quinjet to London and do something together before we drop Thor off for his hot date."

Bruce looked down, pleased. "I've never been to London," he said. "Been practically everywhere else but not there. I wonder what we should do."  
  
Suddenly, Bruce's stomach growled rather loudly, and he let out a choked sound. Thor laughed, a deep rumble from his belly. He clasped Bruce's shoulder, saying, "Your mission must have tired you out, Banner. Why don't we eat before we do anything else, hm?"  
  
Bruce was about to answer, but Tony strolled past him and grabbed something from the fridge, thrusting it into his hands. He fumbled with it before realizing what it was.

“...ha ha,” Bruce said, glaring at Tony.

"No idea what you're talking about," Tony replied flippantly. “S’just a drink.”

Tony had been giving him cans of soda instead of his usual tea or coffee for the past week and a half. It hadn’t quite grown old yet. Tony made his way towards the elevator while Bruce gave him an accusing look.  
  
"I'm going to hit the shower, wash all this sand off. Try not to eat the can next time!” he called out, cackling.

"You ate one of those?" Thor asked Bruce as Tony walked away. He looked bemusedly at the can in Bruce’s hands. “I didn’t know Midgardians could do that."  
  
Bruce watched as Tony retreated, head snapping towards Thor as he realized he was being spoken to. "Uh. We can't, technically. But it was Hulk, so." He shrugged, and that explained everything.  
  
They chatted for a few more minutes before Bruce decided to take his leave as well. He went back to his quarters, took a shower, and headed to bed—he was exhausted. As he fell asleep, he wondered if they had enough data to stop the Hulk yet.  
  
The Hulk grumbled in his mind, distressed.

  


The Quinjet tore across the sky. They weren't far out from London now, and the coast could be seen on the horizon ahead.

“Again, I could’ve flown with Mjolnir,” Thor said.  
  
“Tony could’ve flown by himself, too, but I can’t fly, so.” Bruce smiled at Thor.  
  
“The Hulk can jump, can he not? Swim?”  
  
Bruce’s smile faded a bit. He cleared his throat. “Well, I’m not the Hulk.”

Tony reached out to Bruce and pinched his leg, a cheeky grin on his face.

Bruce squinted at him, and kicked Tony in the shin. “I’m not doing this with you,” he said, but inwardly he was glad for Tony’s distraction. “Play with Thor, if you want.”

"Aww c'mon, Doc. Anything I can do to cheer you up? Souvenir shopping? Candle lit dinner and a show?"  
  
Bruce laughed lightly; he was touched by the lengths Tony would go to just to make him smile. Bruce thought Tony looked rather pleased.

The city was in sight now and Tony steered them in the direction of his London home. Bruce wasn’t surprised to see the landing pad extension.

The city’s backdrop was breathtaking. Bruce could appreciate the beauty of all the places he'd been to, whether in nature or metropolitan cities.

The luxury of Tony's home didn't seem to impress Thor much, although why would it? And while Bruce didn't really let extravagance get to him, he was still amazed by the sheer elegance of it, the architecture.  
  
Bruce didn't like traveling in aircrafts, so as soon as his feet touched the landing strip, he padded his way inside, sitting on the couch in relief.

Tony strode into the house after Bruce and kicked off his shoes. "So, what's on the agenda?"

"Thor wants to go out, see the sights. He hasn't actually spent all that much time on, er, Midgard." Thor wanted to introduce the two of them to his friends. It would be nice to see Dr. Selvig again and to finally meet Dr. Foster, Bruce thought. "You coming with?"

"Uh, actually, I might have to pass on this one." Tony said evasively. "But why don't I catch up with you later?"

Bruce looked at him curiously, but didn't protest. After a moment, he nodded. "Sure."  
  
He turned to Thor, who had just come back from his temporary room here. "Should we head out then?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Yes," Thor said, smiling. Then surprisingly, he smirked. "Would you like me to fly you there? You did mention you were curious about that."  
  
Bruce grew flustered. Oh god, that sounded cool but also _terrifying_. "Uh. Maybe we should stick to the ground, for now."

"Just don't get into any trouble," Tony said, avoiding eye contact with them.

Thor clasped Tony's shoulder and smiled at him. "Of course not, friend. Do not worry, I shall take care of Banner."  
  
"Don't really need to be taken care of…" Bruce grumbled, but soon they left together to go meet up with the others.

  


  
They spent the day acting like tourists and stopped for a meal at one of the restaurants the others had recommended. Bruce thought Jane and Thor were a nice couple, and while they were busy being lovey dovey the rest of them chatted. Selvig was pleasant to talk to, and Darcy was surprisingly funny, too.

Bruce was observant by nature, but after being on the run it became less of a habit and more a survival instinct than anything. When he heard Tony's name being spoken by someone on the street, he tensed but immediately forced himself to relax. Surely people were just excited because they had seen the jet land. He kept up the conversation, but glanced back at the people who were watching something intently on their phones.

  
  


Bruce made his way back to Tony's home, Thor saying he would stay with the others a while longer.  
  
When he got there, he went into the common room and decided to relax, feeling tired. Bruce sat on the couch and took out his Starkphone—because of course Tony had insisted on giving him one. He saw that he had quite a few news notifications.  
  
Bemused, Bruce tapped the first one and it brought up a video of Tony.

He watched as lights flashed on the screen, camera focusing on a car pulling up. Tony exited the car in a snappy suit, looking surprisingly somber. At the area behind him, Bruce had an idea about what he was watching, but…why hadn’t Tony told him?

The press conference was in Greenwich. All around the destruction left by Thor and Malekith's battle was still to be cleared away by the Stark Relief Foundation, it seemed. Bruce frowned at the backdrop; another innocent city destroyed at the hands of an alien invasion.  
  
In the video, the reporters were gathered in front of the stage and they immediately started to bombard Tony with questions. Tony had on his business face as he strode to the podium, ignoring them.  
  
Bruce watched as he spoke to make assurances that the Avengers would continue to ensure the safety of Earth and its people in these changing times. He thanked Thor for his vigilance and for protecting the people of England. He spouted donation numbers and talked about the Foundation, how all victims were being looked after and how people could seek support.  
  
Reporters shot questions at him and he had all the right answers, and occasional jokes, to ensure they went away happy. Bruce was constantly amazed by how deftly he deflected certain comments, and turned them around to diffuse the tension.

It was reaching the end of the Q&A but one reporter still had their hand firmly in the air. Tony pointed at them, indicating they should talk.  
  
"You say that the Avengers are dedicated to protecting us, but isn't one of your _members_ the Hulk? A creature known to be just as wildly unpredictable as these alien invaders?"

Bruce froze.

The other reporters all perked up and stared at Tony intently. Bruce thought he saw a flash of annoyance in his face. Tony recovered quickly.

Bruce could barely hear his answer through the noise in his head. He found he couldn’t concentrate much on anything but trying to _breathe._

"That's an unrelated question but I will say this. The Hulk saved my life. If it wasn't for him I'd be dead. If we ever face another invasion he's our greatest chance of defeating them. No more questions."

Tony jumped off the stage and made his way quickly to his car, slamming the door shut.

Staring blankly at the screen, Bruce had the painful thought that he had caused Tony to get hurt. _Again._

Bruce was tense and he absently noted that at some point he had curled up on the couch.  
  
"Doctor, are you alright? Your heart rate is elevated. This may lead to a panic attack if you do not calm down." JARVIS said, obviously trying to be soothing.

 _Well, fuck_.

  
  


Thor found Bruce like that, curled up into a ball, fingers digging into his skin.  
  
"Banner," he crouched in front of him and said softly, as if talking to a frightened child. He might as well have been, the way Bruce's eyes darted up to his. "You're hurting yourself."  
  
He gently pried Bruce's hands from his legs and held them in his own, trying to ground him. He leaned forward into his space and murmured soft words of comfort into his ear.  
  
Bruce held onto his hands as if his life depended on it, willing his heart to stop hammering in his chest. All he could think about was the trouble and the hurt and the shame and the pain he was causing Tony and the others.

There was a distant sound, and Bruce's head snapped up at it but Thor stayed focused on him. "Banner," he soothed. "What happened?"  
  
He explained things to Thor in a stilted voice, and Thor comforted him in return, telling him that what Tony said was true. Tony. Tony…

Bruce had seen the anger in his face, though.

Exhausted, Bruce soon fell asleep on the couch.

  


Tony hadn't gone straight back to his place. There was something about going home to an empty house that he didn't want to face. Instead he took a walk to clear his head and found somewhere to have a drink undisturbed.  
  
Drinking alone was no better and it was starting to get dark so he headed home in the hope that Bruce and Thor were back by now.

He entered the common room and, at the sight of Thor and Bruce embracing on the couch, Tony's stomach dropped. He stopped dead in his tracks.  
  
He felt a sadness, but he couldn't explain it. Something about seeing the two of them there together filled him with an unexplained anger. Maybe because he was caught off guard at the sight or because it was in the middle of his own house but whatever it was made him turn and head up the stairs as quickly as possible.  
  
He didn't make any effort to mask the sound of his footsteps as he ascended.

Once inside his room, he pulled off his jacket and tie then kicked off his shoes. Why was the sight of Bruce with Thor affecting him so much? It had been the same as when he saw them together at the tower.

It wasn't long before Thor stormed into Tony’s room and said, lowly, "Stark. Explain yourself."

Tony had been slouched in a chair looking out of his bedroom window and the sudden appearance of Thor didn't stir him.

"Do people just not knock these days?" He asked aloud.

Thor ignored him. "You knew Banner would be upset, and yet you ignored him and went straight here. _Why_?”

"Yeah, well…it looks like you had the _comfort_ covered," Tony mumbled into his chest. If he could have sunk deeper into his chair he would have.

Thor’s voice was scathing. “Do you really care that little for him?"

"Who was the one defending him on national TV?" Tony shot back before lowering his voice again. "Cleaning up someone else's mess…"  
  
He knew it was a cheap shot but something about Thor was just so _irritating_.

Thor's eyes flared, and in an instant he was in Tony's space, cornering him.

"Watch yourself, Stark. I was merely protecting Midgard to the best of my ability," he said. "And this is not about me. Tell Banner that you meant what you said. He believes you are _upset_ , that he has caused you more trouble." Thor glared at him. "I was being his friend, and here you are, moping."

"Oh?! _Protecting Midgard_ , is that what you're doing?" Tony asked sarcastically, standing up. "Remind me whose brother it was that showed up and started all this in the first place?!"  
  
Tony was breathing heavily now, the memories of Loki and the battle flooding back.  
  
"And then you swagger back to Asgard,” Tony continued, “and leave the us to deal with the fallout. Because in case you haven't noticed things haven't exactly been _peachy_ for the rest of us."  
  
He advanced on Thor now, no fear of how much bigger the other man was than him.  
  
"I _love_ it when I have nightmares of the Chitauri that are so bad Bruce has to come into my room to wake me up. I _love_ hearing Bruce ask me to build a machine capable of killing the Hulk because he's so scared of himself and I _LOVE_ living in constant fear of another invasion like the the one that _YOU_ brought here to London!"  
  
He brought a finger up to Thor's face and locked eyes with him. "So don't you dare come in here and tell me I'm a bad friend and to stop moping."

There was a flash of lightning outside, and then a rumble of thunder soon after. In an instant, Thor had him by the throat and slammed against the wall.  
  
"What Loki did," Thor said slowly, "was not my fault." It sounded like he was trying to get himself to believe it as well.  
  
"You know perfectly well why I had to go back to Asgard—it was to stop those who would come and destroy Midgard looking for the Tesseract. Things have not been well on Asgard either, but I made a choice to come back because I swore an oath to protect the nine realms.”

Tony grabbed at Thor's hand, attempting to pry it away from his throat. He was losing air and it was clear Thor had no consideration for just how fragile Tony really was.

" _Banner_ does not deserve what he has gone through. He is a good man." It was obvious what the lack of response to Tony's own plight implied. But Thor was blinded by anger, and so he let it go unsaid. "But you are wrong. The Aether, another source of great power, was on Midgard, and so Malekith came for it. Again, not of my doing."

He released Tony. Outside, it had began storming. He was about to say something more, before a voice piped up from behind him.  
  
"Tony? Thor…? What's happening?"

JARVIS had woken Bruce up, it seemed.

Tony slumped to the floor as Thor released him. He rubbed at his throat where Thor had gripped it, exhaling heavily and glad to be able to breathe again.  
  
The look on Bruce's face was cutting and Tony felt a wave of guilt. All this had simply been a result of him seeing Thor and Bruce on the couch together. It had opened the floodgates for everything that had been pent up inside.  
  
Why didn't he want to see Bruce happy? If that's what brought Bruce comfort, if that's what he needed and Thor could give it to him then why did it upset him so much?  
  
"I'm sorry," Tony mumbled. He noticed Thor's head whip around to look at him, clearly surprised by this. "I'm sorry I can't give anyone what they need…" He attempted to get to his feet. "I should go."

Bruce glanced at Thor, but immediately went to Tony, kneeling at his side. He looked worried beyond belief. "Wait, please. What's going on? Tony…"  
  
He glanced down at Tony's throat and from the pain there Tony could tell there would be bruises. And then Bruce—he actually rounded on Thor. "What did you say to him?" he said sharply.  
  
"I-I only…"  
  
Bruce’s eyes flashed for a moment before he blinked the green from them. He turned back to Tony and rested his hands on his arms. "Tony, please talk to me."

"I'm sorry," Tony said quietly so only Bruce could hear. "I'm sorry you got dragged into that press conference, that you had to hear that." God, he couldn’t bear to see that look on Bruce’s face. "You deserve more than that." His eyes flicked over to Thor.

Bruce shook his head in jerky motions. “ _Don’t_. Don’t apologize for that. That was my own fault.”  
  
Bruce’s face crumpled and his body sagged to the ground. He leaned his forehead against Tony’s shoulder and squeezed his eyes shut, willing the stinging behind them to go away.  
  
“Please don’t fight over me,” he murmured at the two of them. “I’m not something worth ruining your relationship over.”

Tony looked up to gauge Thor's reaction to Bruce's contact but saw that he had softened. Tony put his arm around Bruce and pulled him in that bit closer.  
  
"I'd fight anyone over you," he said quietly with a laugh. "And it's _never_ your fault. Those reporters are scum just looking to stir up scandals. I'm wearing an ‘I heart Hulk’ shirt to my next press release."

Bruce just let out a wet laugh, saying, "I don't think they make those. I'd eat another soda can if they did."  
  
Thor met Tony's eyes and inclined his head in apology. Maybe they would talk again later, maybe they wouldn't. Either way, it looked like he thought it wasn’t his place to see this, so he left quietly.  
  
Bruce didn't seem to notice, wrapped up in Tony's warmth. "You…really think he saved your life, huh. That he can be—good?"

Tony waited until Thor had closed the door before he spoke.  
  
"We spent days on the beach together and the entire time all he talked about was smashing 'bad guys'. He didn't threaten me or attempt to escape. I'd say he's got some surprises for all of us."

He began to gently rub Bruce's back with his hand.

Bruce nodded slowly and bit his lip.

"I-I still need it," he said, about their fail safe. "For my peace of mind." Bruce shuddered, but then he seemed to realize something, because he jerked back out of Tony's arms. "Your neck—!"

"I'll be alright." Tony smiled weakly. "I deserved it."  
  
He prodded the bruising skin around his neck, it would be there for a while. He felt tired, it had been a longer day than he was expecting.  
  
He looked up at Bruce and spoke, "Don't worry, when it comes to it the big guy is entirely my responsibility."

Bruce lifted his hand in an aborted motion to touch Tony’s neck. He started wringing his hands instead.  
  
He swallowed. “No, he-he’s on me. Us,” he corrected himself.  
  
Tony liked the sound of “us”.  
  
“…you should get some rest,” Bruce said. “You must be tired, after everything.” He made to get up and move away.

"Wait."  
  
The word slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He wasn't really sure where he was going with this.  
  
"Or you could stay? That uh, conversation brought up a lot of stuff."  
  
He was the one stumbling for words now, since when did he have trouble speaking?

"…okay, Tony. Whatever you need." His eyes softened, and he held his hand out to help Tony up.

"Well, not just what I need," Tony replied attempting to backtrack. "If you don't want to…" He didn't want to think that Bruce was staying out of guilt or some sense of obligation.

"No!" Bruce said rather loudly, before wincing. He cleared his throat. "I want to." He seemed to hesitate the briefest moment before grasping Tony's wrist, rubbing at the pulse there in a comforting manner.

Tony was slightly startled by Bruce's enthusiastic reply. But the calming touch of Bruce's fingers on his wrist were welcomed. It was different for Bruce to initiate physical contact but that too was heartwarming.

"Come on, don't just stay on the floor." Bruce said, smiling softly. “Do you mind if I rest for a while?" He gestured at the chair.

Tony raised an eyebrow. _The chair? Really?_  
  
He made his way across to the bed pulling the remaining pieces of his suit off. "What's wrong with the bed?" He asked, examining it. "Looks comfier than that chair to me."

Bruce paused. "Are you sure?" He asked slowly. He tried for a bigger smile. "I hog the sheets, you know."

"Somehow, I doubt it," Tony responded as he pulled the sheets back and climbed in.

Bruce, to his surprise, lied down beside Tony, tucking his arms under the sheets and curling into himself. The bed was big enough that Tony and Bruce weren't all that close, so hopefully Bruce didn't feel awkward.

They stayed there for some time, listening to each other’s breathing while Bruce studied Tony. In a quiet voice, he said, "Try and sleep, okay?"

"Mhmm," Tony hummed in agreement.  
  
Tony had his eyes closed and layed still in the dark but slowly poked one foot out the side of the bed. He waited several minutes until he was sure that Bruce was dozing off.  
  
A grin crack across his face as he slid his foot back inside the sheets. The masking his movement as if he was simply rolling over, brushed his cold foot against Bruce's leg.

Bruce jerked awake, and actually _squeaked_.  
  
"Tony," he whined, pulling his legs away and tucking them in. He squinted at him in the dark, groggy. "Why are your feet so cold..."  
  
He didn’t answer, instead waiting until Bruce stopped grumbling halfheartedly. Tony smiled, a surprisingly gentle expression on his face. Still, he pulled back his foot.

Quietly, he said, “Thank you, Bruce. For everything.”

Bruce snored softly in response.


	3. Chapter 3

Bruce looked at the _Hulkbuster_ warily. It was a beautiful piece of tech, no question, but…   
  
"Do I really have to be in it?” He asked. “I don't see the point. Won't you be the one flying it, anyway?"

"I need to see it operating from the outside. An external perspective in case I overlooked anything."   
  
Bruce knew it was a lie; Tony’s designs were always flawless. It was clearly just an excuse to get Bruce inside the thing.

"Besides, it's got _your_ name on it," Tony said with a grin.

Bruce swallowed nervously, but approached it anyway.  
  
"Do I just—oh," he said. As soon as he had gotten near it, the mechanism opened, allowing him to step back into it. Once the helmet closed, he had to blink at the interface. "You deal with this input all the time?" Bruce stared, transfixed at the information on the screen.

Tony had stepped into his own suit. "You get used to it," Tony replied. Bruce could hear his voice coming through the internal comms system. "You can see all your vital signs,” Tony continued, “including heart rate, plus the suit's status. Don’t worry, JARVIS will warn you if anything’s malfunctioning."   
  
Without another word Tony took off out of the Tower. No tutorial on flying, no tips, just straight off without a word. The Hulkbuster accelerated and Bruce felt himself lift off the ground and follow close behind Tony.

"Oh my _GOD_ ," Bruce yelled as he followed Tony, trying not to fumble with the controls. It was intuitive, and he got a hang of it quickly enough, but he was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was currently _flying in the air inside a metal suit_.   
  
After he had gotten used to it, he said breathlessly, "This is what it feels like for you every time you fly? I should really change my day job, then."

"No trying to usurp me as Iron Man, Banner!" Bruce could hear the happiness in Tony’s voice. It was clear he loved having Bruce at his side for this.   
  
Tony glided effortlessly through the air ahead of him, rolling, weaving and diving like it was second nature. Bruce supposed that it probably was for Tony.

"Hm, I don't know. Iron Hulk sounds pretty catchy," Bruce joked back, a smile on his face as he watched Tony’s acrobatics.   
  
For the first time, Bruce could understand Tony in a different way. He felt pure, unbridled joy as he tried to match Tony's maneuvers. He felt like a colt fumbling along as he tried to match the measured strides of a full grown stallion. The metaphor was apt—his flailing limbs sometimes meant he'd lose altitude, but he made up for it with an extra strong blast of the repulsors.   
  
After spending thirty minutes in air, he realized Tony must have been itching to fly like this for a while now. "This is so much better than flying on a quinjet, by the way. I don't know how you managed to stay grounded all the while during your recovery,” Bruce said.

"I had a welcome distraction," Tony replied.

Bruce's face heated as the meaning of Tony's words hit him. He smiled, opening his mouth to reply when suddenly JARVIS' voice cut through their moment.  
  
"Sir, it appears as though some terrorists are attempting to attack the Dover Air Force Base just few miles north of your current position."   
  
Bruce frowned. "Do they need—"   
  
"There are over a hundred civilians currently occupying military housing nearby,” JARVIS stated. “Based on their distress calls, I do not believe anyone has been dispatched to their location, where there have also been sightings of gunmen."

Tony changed course instantly and accelerated to his max speed.   
  
"JARVIS, get Bruce and the Hulkbuster back to the tower," he ordered. "I need maps and any available information on the firepower these guys have."

"Sir, according to my calculations you will not be able to reach both parties in time," JARVIS supplied.  
  
JARVIS sent the both of them the data to their HUDS, and it was clear that Tony wouldn't be able to get to the base after rescuing the civilians.   
  
Bruce steeled himself. "I'm not going back. Let me take one of the targets, Tony."

Tony was silent for a moment, obviously trying to make up his mind. Bruce had started flying less than an hour ago, and it was clear Tony didn’t think Bruce could handle the Hulkbuster on a mission.  
  
Plus there was the threat of Hulking out. Either the Hulk might threaten civilian lives or he'd be face to face with the military. Ross would have a field day if the Hulk turned up antagonizing a military base.   
  
"No." Tony stated firmly. "Bruce, you go back to the Tower. You're not ready for this. JARVIS, I go for the civilians, the military will have to handle themselves until I'm done."

Bruce let out a frustrated breath. “ _No_ . People could get hurt. I won’t run away knowing I could’ve stopped that from happening.” He knew he could do it. It may not be what he was used to, but he knew he was capable if Tony gave him the chance to prove it.   
  
He raised the thrust of the repulsors and broke off from Tony, heading to the military base. Tony cursed.

" _Fine_ ." he huffed. "If you insist on being stubborn about this…but we're switching!"   
  
Bruce was slightly relieved, it would be less stressful for him to evacuate civilians then to engage terrorists and army personnel.   
  
"You get those people out of there and I'll deal with the gunmen," Tony said.

Bruce gave an affirmative sound, and switched courses to the military housing. He told JARVIS to forward the distress call to him, and he immediately heard,  
  
“ _—the shooting's stopped by now, but we don’t know if people are hurt. Please, if anyone—_ ”

Bruce stayed on the line with the man as JARVIS sent him footage of the area in real time, using the cameras mounted throughout the neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

It took him less than ten minutes to get there, but those were precious minutes wasted, nonetheless. He made sure to approach slowly, making enough noise to catch the attention of most of the gunmen. The sight of this giant new Iron Man suit was enough to cause a stir. They were attempting to take hostages, no doubt to draw attention away from the real target inside the base.

Luckily, JARVIS was in control of the weapons systems and was able to help take out several of the gunmen.

“JARVIS, scan the area for trapped civilians, we need to get them out.”

“There has been an explosion in the centre of the housing complex, Doctor. There are civilians trapped under the rubble,” JARVIS informed him.   
  
Bruce’s eyebrows furrowed, and he headed in that direction. “Scan the structure. What can I move that won’t cause the building to collapse?”   
  
JARVIS guided him through the steps and with the strength of the suit the family was soon free.

As they climbed out of the rubble, one of the children started screaming at the sight of him; they were clearly upset by the sheer size of the suit and how intimidating it looked. What good was this if he was traumatizing people with his presence? He could see people pointing and questioning whether he really was Iron Man or some kind of impostor.

Bruce bit his lip. He knew he shouldn’t do it, but he wanted to reassure everyone that he was there to help and that he wasn’t one of the antagonists. He opened the helmet so he could smile comfortingly at the parents and their three kids, who had been sobbing but were now looking up at the suit in awe.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get everyone out of here safely,” he said as reassuring as possible.

“Are you Iron Man?” One of the kids asked him.

“I’m Iron Man’s helper,” Bruce said with a wink. “Now come on, we need to get you guys out of here.”

He helped them to a safer area before JARVIS informed him of more people that needed assistance. “Emergency services are stuck, Doctor. The gunmen have blocked the roads so that they can’t reach the civilians.”

“I’m on it,” Bruce said, giving one last wave to the family before putting his helmet back on and taking off once again.   
  
JARVIS had deployed some drones from the tower to deal with the gunmen that had gathered on the outskirts of the housing. Now Bruce could focus on evacuating the rest of the civilians.

He cleared some rubble off of the roads so that the emergency vehicles could get through to assist. They waved appreciatively at him as they drove past and informed him of a group that was still hauled up in the eastern sector of the housing. He took off and made his way to deal with the final group.

The Hulkbuster was too much firepower for them ( _way_ too much) and thankfully the drones he had sent managed to subdue of most of them. The last were quickly taken care of with some well placed shots, although Bruce winced—none of the weapons were meant to stun, after all.   
  
“Tony?” He called into the comms. “We’re all clear on my end.”

He waited but heard nothing from the other end. Bruce called for him again but he still didn’t receive a response.   
  
“JARVIS?” Bruce asked, panic in his voice.   
  
“Sir is currently busy dodging a missile, Doctor Banner,” JARVIS replied.   
  
“ _What_ ?”   
  
Before JARVIS could give an explanation, Bruce took off and headed towards Tony’s location. As he made his way there the comms channel finally opened.   
  
"Good to hear you're all finished up there, Brucie,” Tony said, in his usual cocky voice. “Just wrapping something up myself and then we'll be done. What do you think we should have for dinner? I was thinking we should just order in."

“Tony!” Bruce sounded incredulous. “What are you doing?! JARVIS said there are missiles involved, and you’re talking about _dinner_?”

"Pfft, JARVIS is a drama queen. It's no big deal." He attempted to sound as casual as possible but there was some strain in his voice.

Bruce let out a heavy breath, trying to fly faster.  
  
"It helps me," Tony admitted after a moments silence. "Talking about flippant things. It keeps me calm in high pressure situations."

Bruce let out a quiet breath, but he was sure Tony heard it through the comms anyway. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again they were kind of sad. But he was glad just the same.   
  
“Thanks for telling me,” he said quietly. He cleared his throat. Moments later he reached the base.   
  
He hovered in the sky high above the gunmen that were still occupying it, but he wasn’t sure whether he should—well. “Do I just…shoot them?”

"Yep," Tony replied in a desperate voice. "Shoot or throw something, that would be super."

Bruce would’ve shrugged helplessly if he could. “Alright. Uh, go ahead, JARVIS.”  
  
He aimed at the site and blinked uncomfortably at the explosions that followed. “Er. Yeah, I think they’re not an issue anymore. Wait, what about the missile?”

"If you could go ahead and take care of that for me to I'd appreciate it!" Tony said once again trying to mask exactly how stressed he was.   
  
Tony changed course and headed straight towards Bruce's position, the missile hot on his trail.

He sped past and Bruce fired at the missile as soon as he cleared. The shock reverberated through the suit, but it really wasn’t bad at all, which spoke to Tony’s workmanship more than anything. Still, Bruce shut his eyes as it exploded near them.  
  
“Tony? You okay?” He asked, recovering from the shock of the explosion.

Tony didn’t say anything, but collided with the Hulkbuster from behind, letting out a laugh.  
  
He wrapped his metal arms around the Hulkbuster’s helmet and clung on, catching his breath while in this awkward metal hug. He didn't care how weird it looked.

"You did it!" Tony praised.

Bruce laughed, the adrenaline wearing off and leaving him breathless at what just happened.   
  
“Oh. Yeah. _We_ did it,” Bruce corrected. And he didn’t even Hulk out.   
  
He suddenly realised what an image they must have made, the Hulkbuster hovering unsteadily in the air as Iron Man hugged him like a koala.

Bruce could hear shouting coming from where the gunmen had been attacking. He looked over to see some angry military personnel pointing and running toward them.   
  
"Aaaand, that's our cue to leave!" Tony stated, releasing Bruce and taking off.

“Oh,” Bruce said again. He blinked once, before grinning and flying right after him.   
  


  


Bruce blinked (again), then his eyes widened. “What do you mean we’re on the news?”

Tony had one hand covering his face, watching the TV through the gaps in his fingers.  
  
The top news story was about him and an "unidentified second Iron Man" interfering with an attack on a military base.   
  
He heard Tony let out a groan. Of course the media would take any chance they could to broadcast footage of them.

Bruce said, “Huh. Unidentified second Iron Man—why didn’t they just think it was Colonel Rhodes? I mean, that wouldn’t be such a big jump to make—”

He cut himself off and squinted at a blurry image on the TV, one that was obviously taken with a phone.

His stomach dropped.   
  
“Oh shit. Is that me?”   
  
It was. It was taken during the time he had his helmet up, as he was evacuating the civilians. He looked helplessly at Tony.

"You took your helmet off…" Bruce thought Tony hadn't meant to sound upset, but the response just sort of tumbled out.  
  
The average person wouldn't be able to recognise Bruce from that blurry photo but he knew one person who would instantly, and not be happy about it.

Bruce sputtered, waving his arms in front of him. “I-well-the kids were scared! What was I supposed to do?” He bit his lip, looking back at the TV worriedly. “…maybe he won’t recognize me?” It was lame and he knew it.

Tony's phone was going crazy now, and he narrated everything to Bruce. A few angry texts from Pepper, an excited Rhodey asking why he wasn't invited and asking who was in the other suit. There was even a message from Clint making fun of Tony's inability to stay off the news and asking if it really was Bruce who was with him.  
  
Tony threw the phone onto the couch, ignoring the messages.   
  
"We shouldn't have got involved," Tony groaned. "Now I've put you in danger."

“Hey, no, that wasn’t your fault. If it’s anyone’s, it’s mine. It was my decision to intervene, and those people are _alive_ because we made that choice. Don’t regret that now,” he said, straightening up.

"TV off!" Tony ordered and JARVIS obeyed. "Maybe if we just ignore it the whole thing will be forgotten within the next couple of days."

  
  


  
It wasn’t. Not even two hours later, JARVIS piped up, “Sir. You have a phone call from General Thaddeus Ross.”

Tony's eyes flicked over to Bruce, who was sure he must have looked like a deer in headlights.   
  
Pulling the screen he was working at around so that Bruce couldn't be seen, Tony gave him a wink and answered the call. A very disgruntled Ross appeared on the feed.   
  
"Tony's pizzeria, delivery in fifteen minutes or it's free," he chimed, pretending to be more interested in something off screen.   
  
"Is this some kind of joke to you, Stark?!" Ross said angrily.

Oh, _no._ Bruce looked like he had just swallowed something sour—pained and stricken all at once. He felt bad for having Tony deal with this on his own, but…he was afraid of Ross, and he hated himself for it. At the quip, however, Bruce gave him a wry smile even though Tony wasn’t looking up.

"I can assure you that here at Tony's, customer service is no joking mat—"  
  
"Don't play dumb with me, Stark! Do you mind explaining what it was that you and _Doctor Banner_ were doing at the Air Force Base today?"   
  
" _Hmm_ ," Tony replied, bringing his hand up to his chin and scratching it. "Doctor Banner…Doctor Banner…which one is he again? Not sure if I recall him—"   
  
Ross let out a scoff and suddenly pictures of Bruce in the Hulkbuster appeared on the screen.   
  
" _Oh_ ," Tony replied as if having a moment of clarity, " _Bruce_. Yes, he was there, saving civilian lives."

Hearing it from Tony soothed an ache that he had in his chest. He knew that they had done the right thing, but—it was difficult, the first couple of hours after, waiting for the other shoe to drop.   
  
Still, Tony's words calmed him enough that he found it in him to sit down, content to watch Tony handle this for now.

"Then what do you call this?" Ross sneered.   
  
Footage of the Hulkbuster played on screen. Bruce fired at the gunmen and several soldiers had to take cover to avoid shots. It had been while Tony was distracted by the missile.   
  
"That to me looks like open fire against US military personnel," Ross continued. "Now, you are going to play ball on this Stark or I will start a manhunt for Banner."   
  
"Because that worked _so well_ last time, did it?" Tony shot back. “Bruce practically wrote the book on being on the run. If I'm being honest with you, you're not in his weight class. Maybe—”   
  
"He won't find it so easy to hide once I've outed him as the Hulk to the public," Ross interrupted with a smug grin.

Ross would do it, too. Bruce wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He was so tired of running. Bruce was a fool for thinking that he was done with that life—that he could live in this tower, undisturbed. Like he  _deserved_ to.   
  
He was a fool.   
  
He had gone pale in his seat, and everything seemed so far away.

"You wouldn't," Tony replied. As he spoke Bruce heard the tremble in his voice. Bruce saw him try to compose himself but it was clear that Ross had heard it too.   
  
"Oh, well that is interesting," Ross said as smug as ever. "It appears I've struck a nerve. Could it be I've discovered some leverage that will keep even you in line?"

The thing was, Bruce knew Tony would play nice. For _him_. And he hated that.   
  
He got up and approached Tony, wanting to just—reveal himself and get it over with. Give himself up. Bruce knew that wasn’t an option, either, because he couldn’t let Ross get his hands on him or his blood. But what other choice did he have?

Tony must have seen Bruce moving towards him in the corner of his eye. He held up his hand out of frame to signal for Bruce to stop.   
  
"No," he stated firmly, glaring at Ross. "Bruce's well being is not something you will use to emotionally blackmail me."   
  
Ross seemed slightly taken aback by this response.   
  
"Come anywhere near him, or the Hulk, and you'll get the opposite of nice."   
  
Tony hung up the call.

Bruce didn’t know how he must look right now. He bit his lip to keep it from trembling. He didn’t cry often, if at all, and he wasn’t going to cry now. But he didn’t know how to feel. He wasn’t even wringing his hands. He was just—still. He looked at Tony like he was seeing him for the first time.   
  
“Call him back,” he said slowly. “Apologize. Take back what you said.”

Tony scoffed at hearing that. But he glanced up, and he must have been able to see that Bruce was on the verge of breaking. He crossed the room and pulled Bruce into a hug before he could protest.   
  
"I'd rather fly into another wormhole than apologize to _Thaddeus_ _Ross_ ," he stated. Bruce couldn’t help but shake against him. Tony’s hug helped but Bruce still felt numb. 

"C'mon. Let's go upstairs." Tony led Bruce to the elevator and hit the button to the penthouse.

He was silent the whole way up. But while Tony exited the elevator, he hesitated inside it.   
  
_Why did you do that? Why risk everything?_   
  
“Why are you so nice to me?”

Bruce was standing in the doorway with a completely lost expression on his face.  
  
Tony looked like he wanted to respond with a quip but instead stared back at Bruce. He blinked several times unable to come up with a proper response. When he spoke, it was quiet and full of some emotion Bruce couldn’t name. "I'm not afraid, where you're with me…" he trailed off.

Bruce wasn’t hearing this.

“You should be,” his face was blank, words had no inflection. He wasn’t even talking about the Hulk.   
  
No, the Hulk was just a symptom of a much uglier sickness.   
  
This? Was all Bruce.

" _Excuse me?_ "   
  
Tony sounded furious. Bruce walked past him, unable to make himself look at Tony.   
  
"Aren't you the one telling me I need to open up? To tell you things?" He shook his head in disbelief. "I just opened up and said something that months ago I never would have admitted, and you throw it back at me?"

“I’m not throwing anything back at you,” Bruce said, glancing around the room but not really _seeing_ anything. He looked at Tony, finally, tilted his head and smiled without mirth. “Though this is a pretty bad time for a heart to heart, isn’t it?”

Tony still looked conflicted. After a moment, though, he sighed. "Fine," he replied, backing down. He wandered over to the window to stare as the city lights were beginning to illuminate the skyline while Bruce's eyes tracked the movement mechanically. "What are we going to do about Ross?" Tony asked.

_What are_ we _going to do about Ross?_   
  
_Those people are alive because_ we _made that choice._   
  
_Perhaps if_ we _just ignore it the whole thing will be forgotten._

When would Tony realize that there couldn’t be a “we”?

“General Ross can do what he wants.” Bruce said. _He will no matter what, anyway._ “It doesn’t matter to me.”

"You know what we _could_ do," Tony said, a grin spreading across his face.

Bruce turned to look at him blankly.

"Take away his power over you." He turned to look at Bruce. "The best thing I ever did was reveal my own identity to the public. Since then, no one has been able to hold it over me."

Bruce looked back at him, a doubtful eyebrow raised. “You think the solution to Ross telling the public I’m the Hulk…is to tell the public I’m the Hulk?”

"Why not? It might ease their minds, to know that the man in control of the big green rage monster is brilliant, genius, Bruce Banner!"

Bruce couldn’t look at him, so instead he opted to look out at the city. Though he was here, his mind was elsewhere—thoughts already racing about what to do next. After a moment, he nodded slowly. “Okay. Let me think about it. Alright?”

"Of course, I'm not going to drag you up onto the podium. But it was liberating, to take my identity into my own hands and just… _be_ me."   
  
Tony mimicked Bruce for a while, looking out of the window once more. Eventually, he coughed nervously and glanced across the room.   
  
"I know today was stressful, and if you don't feel like being alone tonight I'd understand." It was a clear lie to Bruce.

Bruce gave him a small, genuine smile—but it was a bit sad, nonetheless. He shook his head without saying anything, a clear no.   
  
They stood in silence for a few more minutes, something heavy in the air. Then Bruce closed the distance between them, and raised a hand to Tony’s shoulder, squeezing once.   
  
It wasn’t enough of a goodbye, not at all. But it would have to do.

Tony swallowed at his refusal for company, but nodded back. "Why don't you stay up here tonight?" Tony asked. "Alone, I mean," he added. He gestured towards his bedroom.   
  
"There's a huge tub in the bathroom and my bed has the softest sheets. It might do you some good." He broke away and made his way to the elevator.   
  
"I forgot I have some work to finish," he mumbled. "Probably’ll take me all night, so I won't be up here…" By the time he trailed off he had reached the doors.

Bruce thought of Tony’s room, so lived in compared to his. He thought of the time he had slept there in Tony’s bed, the smell of his pillows, the rasp of the sheets against his skin.   
  
He thought of waking up next to that warmth, and how he’d never get to have that. Not again. 

Bruce wanted it one last time, something to remember him by. He’d settle for this. He smiled gratefully at Tony, ducking his head. Nodding, he said, “Okay, I will. Thanks, Tony.”  
  
He had a bag shoved into the back of his closet, one that he had never unpacked for this very reason. He crushed the feeling of sadness that came from thinking he had been right to keep it— that this would come eventually. He’d leave first thing in the morning.  
  
Bruce slept lightly, curled into a ball and face tucked into Tony’s pillow. He woke up at 5am without JARVIS’ prompting, and took the elevator down to his floor. He got ready in the bathroom one last time. He went about his day as normally as possible, not wanting JARVIS to take notice. It was inevitable, but he didn’t want him to alert Tony for as long as possible. He shrugged on a couple of layers, donned a baseball cap, and walked out of the front doors of Stark Tower.   
  
He didn’t leave a note.


	4. Chapter 4

_He was falling, the wormhole overhead with the oncoming alien invasion. As he fell he felt calm; Bruce would catch him, it would be okay. But he fell further and further, and the Hulk didn't appear. He hit the ground._   
  
Waking with a start, Tony sat up, breathing heavily. He was on the couch in the lab and Dum-E stirred next to him making a concerned noise.   
  
"I'm okay," he assured the bot. He ran his hands over his face and though his hair. "JARVIS, what time is it?"   
  
"9:30am, Sir."   
  
He took a deep breath and headed for the elevator. Hopefully Bruce had slept okay and they could talk about everything that had happened. Normally Tony would have been content to ignore the issue but he needed to know Bruce was okay.

In hindsight he had been too quick to try and push Bruce down his own path of revealing his identity, that wasn’t the way for Bruce.

Taking the elevator up to the penthouse he looked around, quietly tiptoed into the bedroom but found that it was empty. He supposed that it would be too much to find a ruffled sleeping Bruce in his room.

"Doctor Banner is not here, sir," JARVIS chimed in. With a sigh, Tony headed towards the bathroom. "He returned to his own floor around 5am," JARVIS continued.   
  
He must have had trouble sleeping, Tony thought. He stripped off and climbed into the shower, welcoming the hot water. He would have to come up with a new way to deal with Ross, one that would avoid dragging Bruce into the spotlight.   
  
After a few quiet moments, JARVIS spoke again. "Sir, I don't know how to tell you this, but I believe Doctor Banner may have left the Tower with the intention of not returning."

Tony just stared at the wall as the water ran over him. He didn't say anything, he didn't move.

“Also, Mr. Odinson has told me to inform you that he is waiting for you in the common room.”   
  
Tony barely heard what JARVIS said about Thor. His instinct had told him not to leave Bruce alone last night but what could he have done? If Bruce had really wanted to leave then why shouldn't he? But the thing that got Tony the most…why hadn't Bruce told him? Did he think that Tony would insist on locking him away and forcing him to stay against his will?   
  
It appeared that perhaps his and Bruce's friendship wasn't as close as he had believed it to be.   
  
"Sir?" Jarvis voice sounded, rousing him. "I think you should get out of the shower now."   
  
He nodded and slowly drew himself out. He barely noticed what he was doing as his mind continued to run over everything that had happened. He dried off and pulled the first thing out of his wardrobe he saw.

He walked out into his lounge room and stared blankly around. Why, why, hadn’t he insisted on staying here with Bruce last night. Even if he had just slept on the couch. He would have heard Bruce trying to leave.  
  
"Did he leave a note?" He asked quietly.

JARVIS was silent for a moment before answering. "No, he did not."   
  
Tony only gave a small nod of acknowledgement.

Thor was waiting patiently by the window, arms crossed behind his back. He was in civilian, Midgardian clothing, looking laidback. He turned when Tony entered the room, and frowned when he took in his appearance. 

He approached Tony and put a warm hand on his shoulder. Tony flinched slightly as Thor’s arm came towards him but he didn't let it show. Last time they had interacted it did _not_ end well, and they hadn’t had the time to patch things up since. He wasn’t sure how to handle Thor by himself right now on top of everything he was already dealing with.

“My friend, what is wrong? I heard about what happened at the military base. Are you and Banner alright?” Thor frowned. “Is Banner on his way, JARVIS?”

Tony wanted to answer his friend but his mouth felt dry. He couldn't bring himself to say it. If he said it aloud it might make it real, and he didn’t want to make it any more real than it already was.  
  
"Doctor Banner has left," JARVIS informed him on Tony's behalf. "I have reason to believe he will not be returning."   
  
Tony's eyes watered at hearing it again. The shock was wearing off and the reality was starting to set in. He had really messed things up, finally scared Bruce off with his constant joking and insistence to show off.

"Left…" Thor's brows drew together in a dark expression, but he wisely said nothing about it. Instead, his eyes flickered over Tony’s face worriedly, and he breathed a heavy sigh. Thor’s hand fell from Tony’s shoulder, and it hung uselessly from his side. He looked like he wanted to ask why, but he didn’t.

"...how are you faring, Stark?" Thor asked instead.

"I tried…" Tony begun, "I tried to protect him but, somehow, I think I made it worse." He looked up at Thor, forgetting everything they had fought about in the past. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do to bring him back." 

He felt lost. He had failed to keep Pepper happy and safe, and now he had failed Bruce too. At least with Pepper he knew where to find her to make some vain attempt to fix things, but this time…he didn't even know where Bruce was.

Thor narrowed his eyes at him. "What is stopping you from doing so? Just find him, speak with him. I am sure you can clear up this misunderstanding."

"In case you hadn't noticed, he left!" Tony said, raising his voice. 

He got a hold of himself, not wanting to start another fight with Thor. He explained what happened with Ross and how he, against his discretion, had left Bruce alone. "I wanted to protect him. But he just disappeared in the middle of the night…he didn't even leave a note."

Thor breathed out through his nose, looking like he was trying to tamp down his frustration.

" _Find him_. You have so many resources at your disposal, and you let him walk away? You are his friend. You deserve an explanation." Thor actually looked—angry. Was it on Thor’s own behalf?

On Tony’s?

"Find him?" He asked. He supposed that Thor wasn't fully aware of Bruce's past. "Bruce is the world's best hide and seek player," he joked. But then his expression fell and he asked the question that was plaguing him. "What if he doesn't want to come back?"

"Do not speak of what ifs, because those do not matter. When you find him, speak with him,” he repeated. “Have him explain himself, because you did not deserve such treatment. And if you find out he has hurt you deliberately, well—" Thor's eyes grew cold and the air sparked around him, "then it is _I_ who shall be having words with Banner."

Tony was surprised to hear Thor siding so strongly with him. It hadn't occurred to Tony that this situation wasn't entirely his fault, or that Bruce was being unfair. In his mind, Bruce was just reacting the only way he knew how.   
  
He looked up at Thor, the man was so determined to see them reunited, he could see it in his eyes.   
  
Tony nodded, his determination to find Bruce growing. Thor’s resolve was becoming infectious, it seemed. If Thor had this much faith that he and Bruce could fix things between them, then why not. At least he could find Bruce and _talk_ to him, find out what he could do to fix things, and at least ask him to come back.

The only problem would be finding him. Bruce knew how to disappear, but Tony had some ideas.

He turned and gestured for Thor to follow him. "I'll need your help," he said over his shoulder. "He won't be easy to find and he has a four-hour head start."

 

 

  


It was difficult, leaving the city while making sure not to get caught on camera. Bruce had even shrugged off his outer layer of clothing and left it in front of a homeless man at some point. Once he got his head into the idea that he was leaving, it was easy to pick up where he had left off. The motions were familiar, soothing even, though something nagged at the back of his mind about whether or not he was doing the right thing.  
  
He tried to ignore it, for the most part.  
  
He had taken the train as far as he could but he hadn’t been paying attention to where he ended up. All that mattered was that he got as far from the Tower as fast as possible. He wasn't that familiar with the area, but there was a stillness to the place that made Bruce feel like it was safe to…let go. He was tired, he was frustrated, he hated that he had to leave ( _did he really_ **_have_** _to leave?_ ) and the Hulk was itching to come out.  
  
So Bruce transformed, and the Hulk roared, before looking around helplessly for Tony to welcome him and slumping disappointedly when he couldn’t see him.

There were trees and rocks, no buildings in sight. That was the way the Hulk preferred it. He wondered further into the trees, no idea of where he was going and not caring.

He found it odd that he was alone, the last few times he had control Tony had been by his side. Perhaps this was another kind of test like Tony had been given him. Maybe he needed to find him? At that thought Bruce recoiled inside, sending negative feelings. Clearly Banner didn’t want that to happen.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he sat down in the dirt.

Animals liked Hulk. Was it because they knew he wasn’t going to hurt them? Hulk didn’t attack; he reacted. When people shot at him with their guns, he defended himself and Bruce, nothing more. All he did was run away. It seemed the two of them were more alike than Bruce would like to admit.   
  
Hulk sat there, a bird perched on his knee, at peace. He hadn’t felt that way since that time on the beach.   
  
_Puny Banner run away. Hulk want to go back._   
  
But Hulk knew that going back would hurt Bruce, and he was tired of feeling hurt. So he stayed there in the clearing, closing his eyes and enjoying the peace.

Hulk looked up when the bird flew away, seeing Tony hovering in the air. Bruce stirred in the back of his mind, and he was afraid, sad, angry, ashamed. Hulk grunted as he moved into a crouch.

His face twisted in pain, and he roared at the sky where Tony was suspended in flight.

Tony’s visor retracted, revealing his face that looked sad, yet relieved. “Hey, big guy,” Tony said with a wave. “Glad I found you.”

But the Hulk could feel the despair radiating off of Banner at the sight of Tony. He had to protect Banner; he hated the feeling of Banner’s emotions affecting his own, so the only solution was to get rid of Tony.

“Tin Man leave!” He bellowed, grabbing a nearby rock and hurling it at the annoying man.

Clearly caught off guard, Tony did not manage to dodge and the rock hit him square in the chest.

“Hey!” Tony yelled, “Play nice. I’m only here to help.” He held out his hands and approached slowly.

The Hulk waited until his was within arm’s reach, letting Tony believe that he could approach, before reaching out and seizing his metal ankle. Gripping tight he slammed Tony against the ground several times.

“OKAY!” Tony yelled, activating his foot repulsors and slipping out from the Hulk’s grip. “Now you’re pissing me off Banner!”

“NO BANNER! ONLY HULK!” He roared, irritated by Tony’s reference to him as Banner. He was the tiny man cowering at the back of his mind.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Tony said flying out of his range and spinning back around to look down at him. “Which means I have no problem using the appropriate equipment.”

The Hulk tilted his head, he didn’t understand what Tony meant but he could hear something though, whistling through the air and approaching them. He looked all around trying to see what the cause of the noise was but it soon revealed itself.

Large pieces of metal were flying towards them and attaching themselves to the Tin Man's suit. The Hulk’s eyes grew wide as the Tin Man suddenly grew dramatically to a size that matched his own. Suddenly Tony wasn’t so puny.

“You like?” Tony asked. “I figured if we were going to be hanging out more, I should have a way of keeping up.”

The Hulk roared threateningly at this new Tin Man suit. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like Tony being the same size as him. No matter, there was no way he was as strong as the Hulk as well.

“Hulk smash anyway!” He bellowed leaping forward, pulling his fist back ready to punch.

Tony didn’t try and run, he stood his ground and waited for the attack. The Hulk’s fist soared through the air and Tony raised his hand, catching the punch and stopping him like it was nothing.

The Hulk stared wide eyed in disbelief. No one had ever stopped one of his attacks.

“WHOA!” Tony yelled out in disbelief. “Haha! It works!”

The Hulk saw that Tony was distracted by his own success so used the opportunity to his advantage, unleashing another punch on the his gut. Tony staggered back with an “oof” and tried to recover but the Hulk was on him again, attempting to punch any part of the suit he could reach. He wasn’t prepared when the Tony’s huge fist made contact with his chest and sent him flying across the clearing. He landed with a heavy thump in the dirt.

“That’s for not leaving a note!” Tony yelled. He started to run towards the Hulk again, fist raised.

The Hulk tried to get to his feet but a blast from Tony’s suit forced him back into the ground. The barrage of attacks made it impossible for him to stand—one after the other they slammed him back to the ground as he attempted to push himself up. He didn’t like this new suit, he wasn’t used to feeling so powerless, and at the hands of puny Tony no less.

The shots ceased as Tony loomed over him and was rearing back to bring down a punch on him, but the Hulk was ready this time and kicked at Tony’s legs. He tumbled down on top of the Hulk who used it to his advantage to catch him off guard.

He pulled up his own fist and hammered it down on the suit’s helmet. It was tough though, tougher than he had expected. Once again Tony managed to slip out of his grip but activating the repulsors and flying up into the air.

“I don’t want to keep fighting you,” Tony said. “Please, we need to stop. Bruce, if you can hear me, you don’t need to be afraid. It’ll be okay.”

The Hulk felt Bruce stirring at these words, there was a longing mixed with doubt and anxiety. The Hulk wasn’t ready for what happened next. The suit retracted off of Tony as he flew slowly towards him until the smaller suit came away just as he reached the Hulk.

Wrapping his arms around the Hulk's neck, Tony buried his face into the Hulk's cheek. He sobbed as he squeezed tight. The Hulk’s arms came up to support and hold him in place. 

"I'm sorry," Tony managed to stammer between sobs.

Hulk froze, making a strangled sound. Then…he began to shrink, his skin fading back to its usual color. 

Bruce laid there on the ground, shaking as he bit his lip and shut his eyes tight. Tony was sprawled over him, clutching him like his life depended on it. The moisture against his skin made his breath hitch, and his eyes started stinging.   
  
And then, slowly, he reached up and rested his arms against Tony’s back, suddenly exhausted. He buried his face in Tony’s hair and let himself cry. Tony pulled him closer at this and ran his hand comfortingly through his hair.   
  
"Please," Tony breathed into his ear, "don't ever leave me like that again."   
  
Bruce never wanted to let him go. His hands clutched at Tony’s back and he nodded, swallowing thickly. But he knew he had to say the words.   
  
“I won’t. I’m sorry, I was—” he inhaled sharply, “I was _scared._ ”

Tony pulled away and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, trying to compose himself. 

"Please, don't be.” Tony said. “I would _never_ let anything happen to you."

Bruce laughed wetly, closing his eyes again and shaking his head. “That’s _not_ —that’s exactly the problem. You’re the one who always gets hurt. You take the heat when it’s my fault.”

He opened his eyes and when he met Tony’s, they were tired and filled with resignation. “I’m not good for you, Tony. Nothing about me is good. I’m scared that one day, I’ll just—”  
  
ruin everything   
  
_drive you away_   
  
_hurt you._

Tony was clearly struggling for words. 

"So you'll ask me to kill you, but you won't let me protect you?" His voice was strained.

"You're not hearing me!" Bruce said, voice cracking. "I don't need protection, I'm the one you need protecting _from_."

Bruce let out a sob, " _God_ , it would be so much easier if I would just—” 

He snapped his jaw shut, because that was something that Tony didn't deserve to hear, not after everything.

Tony's expression dropped. As if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Bruce could see more tears forming in the corner of Tony’s eyes as he stared down at him. 

"You're right," Tony said quietly. "You don't need my help."  
  
Bruce was slightly confused by this response. But maybe Tony was finally beginning to understand what he had been trying to say all this time.

Tony let the words hang in the air before placing his hands either side of Bruce's head and fixing him with a firm gaze. "Because you're Bruce Banner." One of his hands reached over and pushed a curl of hair out of Bruce's face. "The smartest man and most terrifying green rage machine this world has ever seen." 

Tony leaned in closer, not breaking eye contact. "I've seen alien armies and _gods_ tremble before you."

Bruce found he couldn't look away. Not from those eyes, so full of hurt and pain anyway. He just—he couldn't understand—

How could _Tony_ look at him that way?   
  
Like he was the only thing in the world that mattered.   
  
And in that moment, Bruce realized that he was completely, utterly gone for this man.   
  
His lips trembled and he found he couldn't blink the tears out of his eyes. He felt everything acutely: the weight of Tony on against him, the heat of Tony's hand as it brushed against his face, the feeling of his breath ghosting against his skin.   
  
"…and what does that make you?" Bruce asked quietly. "You are so much more than that."   
  
Tony was his complement in every way. Where Bruce destroyed things, Tony created. When he faltered, Tony was there, reaching out.   
  
Time and again, he reached out, and Bruce just kept pushing him away.   
  
Well, maybe he didn't want that, anymore.   
  
And so he licked his lips, and pressed them against Tony's.

Tony gasped slightly as Bruce's lips pressed against his own, although he was caught of guard he welcomed it, leaning in to match Bruce’s pressure. 

As they broke apart they opened their eyes and stared longingly at each other, before resting their foreheads together.   
  
"Please tell me this means you'll come home with me," Tony asked. "Or anywhere, I don't care where we go."

Bruce laughed a little breathlessly, before he said, " _Yes_ , Tony, I'm coming home with you."

His eyes crinkled in a fond look and he had to bite his lip to keep from smiling too widely. Bruce sighed contently as he threaded his hand into Tony's hair, pulling him into another kiss before pulling away, embarrassed. "But yeah. Home sounds good right about now."

**Author's Note:**

> THOR IS THE SCIENCE BRO SHIPPER WE ALL ASPIRE TO BE
> 
> We’re both part of a [Science Bros discord](https://discord.gg/yrs2ZjU), if anyone is interested in joining.
> 
>  
> 
> [beemotionpicture.](https://beemotionpicture.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> [Tired Science Bro.](https://just-banner.tumblr.com/)


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